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Republicans' Hyprocrisy Undressed

He adamantly insists that he isnâ€™t gay. One wonders then why he would into a stall occupied by another male; why he would shove his hand under the next stall where another male was seated on a toilet.

[Black Star Editorial]

Those who live in toilet bowls should not throw stones.

Sen. Larry Craig, a Republican from Idaho was caught with his pants down in a compromising position.

He reportedly propositioned a male police officer in a Minnesota Airport bathroom for sex; yet he claims he did nothing wrong and that he made a “mistake” when he pleaded guilty, on August 8, to a misdemeanor charge of lewd conduct stemming from his June 11 arrest. He also adds “I’m not gay,” and “never been gay.”

The senator, a supposed “family-values” conservative, like fellow Republican pedophile Mark Foley—who has voted against gay rights issues, including gay marriage—is up for re-election next year and has been in office since 1981. He was snagged in an undercover sting at the Minneapolis-St Paul International Airport Lindberg Terminal.

According to authorities the bathroom where Sen. Craig was arrested is a known cruising place for men seeking other men for public sex. Craig was arrested by Officer Dave Karsniat after performing a series of tell-tale solicitation signals. According to the report filed by Officer Karsniat, “at 1213 hours I could see an older white male standing outside my stall…The male was later identified as Larry Edwin Craig. I could see Craig look through the crack in the door from his position. Craig would look down at his hands, ‘fidget’ with his fingers, and then look through the crack into my stall again. Craig would repeat this cycle for about two minutes.”

The officer says the senator then when further by entering the stall next to him. He sat down, then proceeded to send other telling signals. “At 1216 hours, Craig tapped his right foot. I recognized this as a signal used by persons wishing to engage in lewd conduct. Craig tapped his toes several times and moved his foot closer to my foot…The presence of others didn’t seem to deter Craig as he moved his right foot so that it touched my left foot which was within my stall area,” the officer wrote.

After, those signals the senator is said to have repeatedly swiped his hands under the stall of the officer, who proceeded to produce his badge and make the arrest. Then on August 8 the senator pled guilty in Hennepin County District Court and was given one year probation with a $500 fine.

Senator Craig now says that plea was a “mistake” and that “in hindsight I should not have pled guilty.” At the time of the arrest he says he “complained to the police that they were misconstruing my actions.” He claims that he was only trying to “handle the matter myself quickly and expeditiously.”

To call the senator’s denials lame would be an understatement. He would have us believe that he pled guilty to this charge out of ignorance, nearly two months after he was arrested? Why would he have wanted to handle the matter “expeditiously” if he was innocent? Craig is from a very conservative state. He adamantly insists that he isn’t gay. One wonders then why he would into a stall occupied by another male; why he would shove his hand under the next stall where another male was seated on a toilet. There is one thing to be friendly; but to rub his feet against that of another male seated on an adjacent stall? Word comes that the senator is linked with similar behavior in the Union Square area in Washington, D.C., among other places.

This I the kind of high-level Republican hypocrisy we’ve seen before. Republicans preached “moral values” and condemned Bill Clinton and literally wanted to hang him for his sexual encounters with Monica Lewinsky. Yet, their actions show that hypocrisy abounds.

Recall that David Vitter was humbled when Washington D.C. Madame, Deborah Jeane Palfrey, under the strain of her prosecution case revealed that the senator was one of her frequent customers. Vitter who represents Louisiana was also accused by a local Madame as being a loyal visitor to her establishment. Then there is Mark Foley, who engaged in homosexual activities with pages. Republicans had known of Foley’s secret life for years but chose to ignore it. Foley had been linked to inappropriate conduct with congressional pages, going back to the 1980s.

Republican Presidential hopeful Mitt Romney has already made a statement trying to link Craig’s conduct with that of Clinton in the “Blue Dress” affair. But we must keep in mind that Craig was helping Romney secure votes and support in the state of Idaho until yesterday. It remains to be seen how much damage this will do to Romney and the Republicans as we move into next year’s elections.

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